In the world of theater we call it a stumble-through. It’s the rehearsal where you put down your script, even though you’re not ready, and put the show on its feet. You get through it, perhaps a little dinged up, but now you know what you need to work on.

I’m excited to incorporate this idea of buoyancy more explicitly into my classes because the benefits are clearly huge. In Seligman’s Research, Buoyancy was the number one predictor of sales success. It allowed people to get back in there and try again with a positive attitude, giving them the numbers they need to achieve the success they desire.

Perhaps you’ve heard the expression, “Begin with the end in mind.” Knowing what you intend to end up with is essential. I call this your persuasion proposition or proposal. It will help you organize, practice, and respond appropriately when the unexpected occurs. It is a fundamental key to purposeful and productive behavior.

If influence is a given, then questions are a powerful intervention in the thinking of others. You can ask for relevance, intent, motivation, deeper understanding, and a whole host of other useful bits of information

Some of the best ideas are met with resistance. Important solutions fail to be implemented because of resistance. For our purposes, if you meet resistance, it is useful to assume that you’ve put it there, to think of resistance as a form of feedback about how you’ve gone about your persuasive efforts.

Whatever you assume to be true, you’re going to act like it’s true. You can’t help it. And the way you act will influence people, places and things in such a way that you will find proof for whatever you assume to be true.

Here’s some simple yet powerful advice for you: Develop in yourself an assertive style of communication. Back it up with solid facts and real examples, and you’ll be able to focus the attention of other people on your ideas.